1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computer readable medium for setup purpose (hereinafter called simply xe2x80x9csetup computer-readable mediumxe2x80x9d) and a setup method, both of which make a printer be adaptable for use with a computer preinstalled with WINDOWS 98 or the like.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 11-286061, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
WINDOWS 95/98 (registered trademarks which are owned by Microsoft corporation in the U.S. and registered in U.S. and other countries) are equipped with a function called PlugandPlay (usually abbreviated as xe2x80x9cPnPxe2x80x9d). By means of this function, a PnP-compatible device added to a computer system is automatically identified, and software (or a driver) required for activating the device is automatically installed on a computer.
More specifically, when a PnP-compatible device is additionally connected to a computer, WINDOWS retrieves an INF file pertaining to the device from a folder named ¥WINDOWS¥INF. Here, an INF file (also called a xe2x80x9csetup information filexe2x80x9d) is a file in which there is defined information required for setting up a driver; for example, information about the name and location of a driver to be installed in WINDOWS for activating the device and information about a folder into which a driver is to be installed. An INF file is retrieved on the basis of a vender ID or a device ID assigned to and acquired from an additionally-connected device.
In a case where an INF file pertaining to the additional device can be successfully retrieved, a folder having a driver stored therein and the name of the folder are identified on the basis of the information described in the INF file. On the basis of the result of identification, a driver for activating the device is automatically installed (without involvement of operations to be performed by the user).
In a case where an additionally-connected device is brand new and where an INF file pertaining to the device is not stored in the folder ¥WINDOWS¥INF, an xe2x80x9cAdd New Hardware Wizardxe2x80x9d is executed.
For example, in a case where a printer having a universal serial bus (USB) interface is connected to a computer as a first printer through use of a USB cable, a dialogue box which is shown in FIG. 15 and indicates a necessity for using a driver for a USB printer (i.e., a USB port driver) appears on a display of the computer. When the user clicks the xe2x80x9cNEXTxe2x80x9d button in the dialogue box, a dialogue box for selecting a retrieval method shown in FIG. 16 appears on the screen. When the user clicks the xe2x80x9cNEXTxe2x80x9d button in the dialogue box, a dialogue box for specifying a location from which a driver is to be retrieved (i.e., a location where an INF file of a driver is stored), such as that shown in FIG. 17, is displayed. The dialogue box shown in FIG. 17 appears as a result of a certain folder within a network drive being specified as a retrieval location in response to a dialogue box which has been displayed as a result of the user clicking the xe2x80x9cNEXTxe2x80x9d button in the dialogue box shown in FIG. 16. In a case where an INF file of a USB port driver is stored on a floppy disk or CD-ROM, a floppy disk driver or a CD-ROM driver is specified as a retrieval location through the dialogue box.
When the user clicks the xe2x80x9cNEXTxe2x80x9d button after having specified a retrieval location, an INF file pertaining to a USB port driver is retrieved from the thus-specified retrieval location. In a case where the INF file has been retrieved successfully, there is displayed a dialogue box indicating that preparation for installing the driver has been completed, such as that shown in FIG. 18. When the user clicks the xe2x80x9cNEXTxe2x80x9d button in the dialogue box, actual installation of a driver is commenced. Upon completion of installation of the driver, there is displayed a dialogue box showing completion of driver installation, such as that shown in FIG. 19.
By means of clicking the xe2x80x9cFINISHEDxe2x80x9d button in the dialogue box, the user terminates the wizard, whereupon a wizard for installing a driver of the printer connected to the computer by way of the USB cable is started.
First, a dialogue box as shown in FIG. 20 is displayed. When the user clicks the xe2x80x9cNEXTxe2x80x9d button in the dialogue box, a dialogue box for selecting a retrieval method (see FIG. 16) is displayed. When the user clicks the xe2x80x9cNEXTxe2x80x9d button in the dialogue box, a dialogue box for specifying a retrieval location (see FIG. 17) is displayed. When the user clicks the xe2x80x9cNEXTxe2x80x9d button after having specified a retrieval location, an INF file pertaining to a driver for the printer xe2x80x9cEPSON Stylus Photo 800xe2x80x9d connected to the computer is retrieved from the thus-specified retrieval location. A dialogue box indicating that preparation for installing a driver has been completed, such as that shown in FIG. 21, is displayed.
When the user clicks the xe2x80x9cNEXTxe2x80x9d button in the dialogue box, the xe2x80x9cADD PRINTER WIZARDxe2x80x9d is commenced. As a result, there is displayed a dialogue box for assigning a name to the printer, such as that shown in FIG. 22. When the user clicks the xe2x80x9cNEXTxe2x80x9d button in the dialogue box, actual installation of a printer driver is commenced. After completion of installation of the printer driver, a program named xe2x80x9cVendor Setupxe2x80x9d is initiated for creating a folder and an icon of Readme.txt. After completion of creation of a folder and an icon, there is displayed a dialogue box indicating completion of installation of the printer driver, such as that shown in FIG. 23. When the user clicks the xe2x80x9cFINISHEDxe2x80x9d button in the dialogue box, there is displayed a dialogue box shown in FIG. 24. When the user clicks the xe2x80x9cFINISHEDxe2x80x9d button in the dialogue box, printer setup is completed.
In a computer preinstalled with WINDOWS 95/98, a USB printer becomes available when the user performs the foregoing setup operations. Although the previously-described wizards require cumbersome operations (i.e., the user must click many buttons), the wizards enable a person who understands the messages appearing in the respective dialogue boxes to set up a printer without fail. However, the wizards may cause the person who uses only a browser and does not have any knowledge about computers to perform a faulty operation. In a case where a faulty operation is performed, as a natural result a USB printer fails to become available. In some cases, a faulty operation brings a computer into a state in which wizards are not executed even when the computer is restarted.
The present invention is aimed at providing a setup computer-readable medium for setup purpose and a setup method which enable virtually anybody to set up a sprinter very simply without fail.
To this end, the present invention provides a setup computer-readable medium for making a printer be adaptable for use with a computer which utilizes an operating system and has an interface of first type and a parallel interface, the operating system retrieving a setup information file pertaining to an added device from a specific location and installing a driver pertaining to the device in accordance with the retrieved setup information file. More specifically, the setup computer-readable medium stores a port driver file of first type which is a port driver file of first type for causing the interface of first type to act as a port of first type for use with the printer, a setup information file for the port driver of first type including location designation information about a location in which the port driver file of first type is recorded, a printer driver file for the printer, and a setup program for causing the computer to perform processing pertaining to a printer driver installation step of installing a printer driver for the printer in accordance with the printer driver file, on the assumption that the printer is connected to a parallel port, and processing pertaining to a copy step of copying the setup information file to the specific location and copying the port driver file of first type to a location designated by the location designation information stored in the setup information file.
When a setup program recorded on the setup computer-readable medium according to the present invention is executed, a setup information file for the port driver of first type is copied to a specific location (a folder ¥WINDOWS¥INF in a case where an operating system is WINDOWS) from which an operating system (for example, WINDOWS) first retrieves a setup information file. The port driver file of first type is copied to a location which is designated in the setup information file as a location for recording a driver file.
So long as the printer is connected to the computer after the setup program has been executed, the operating system automatically installs the port driver of first type (without displaying a dialogue box or the like for specifying a retrieval location). More specifically, so long as the setup computer-readable medium is used, a printer can be practically set up without involvement of occurrence of misoperation.
Preferably, the setup computer-readable medium is embodied by means of adopting a setup program which causes the computer to perform processing pertaining to a connection monitoring step. In the connection monitoring step, an operating system forms a port of first type for the printer by reference to the setup information file copied to the specific location; there is monitored whether the printer is connected to the port of first type or the parallel port; when the printer is connected to the port of first type, a connection port to which the printer is to be connected is changed to the port of first type, and processing is terminated; and, when the printer is connected to the parallel port, processing is terminated without changing a connection port to which the printer is to be connected.
If the setup computer-readable medium is embodied by means of adopting such a setup program, a connection port to which the printer is to be connected may be set without a necessity for manual operations.
Preferably, the setup computer-readable medium is embodied by means of adopting the connection monitoring step, in which there is displayed a first dialogue box which instructs the user to connect the printer to the computer and turn on the power of the printer and which does not have any item operable by the user; and, when a predetermined period of time has lapsed with the printer being connected to neither the parallel port nor the port of first type, there is displayed a second dialogue box having an item operable by the user, and processing is terminated when the item on the second dialogue box is operated.
It is desired that a program can be aborted (canceled) when erroneously executed. Since a common setup program performs setup operations by means of the user clicking a button in a dialogue box, if a dialogue box having an item such as a xe2x80x9cCANCELxe2x80x9d button is displayed from the beginning, conceivably the user may click a button in the dialogue box without understanding instructions provided in the dialogue box. For this reason, as mentioned above, the first and second instruction dialogue boxes are displayed sequentially, to thereby inform the user of operations to be performed without fail and in such a manner that the user can cancel operations.
Preferably, the setup computer-readable medium is embodied by means of further storing an uninstall program for causing the computer to uninstall the printer driver installed in the printer driver installation step, as well as the port driver file of first type and the setup information file which have been copied in the copy step.
Preferably, the interface of first type belonging to the computer with which the setup computer-readable medium according to the present invention is used involves a necessity for installing a port driver. Any type of interface may be used as the interface of first type, so long as a printer can be connected to the interface. For example, the interface of first type may be embodied as a USB interface or an IEEE 1394 interface.
The present invention also provides a setup method for making a printer be adaptable for use with a computer which utilizes an operating system and has an interface of first type and a parallel interface, the operating system retrieving a setup information file pertaining to an added device from a specific location and installing a driver pertaining to the device in accordance with the retrieved setup information file. More specifically, the setup method comprises a printer driver installation step of installing a printer driver for the printer, on the assumption that the printer is connected to a parallel port, a copy step of copying a setup information file to a specific location, the setup information file being a port driver file of first type for causing the interface of first type to act as a port of first type for use with the printer and including location designation information about a location in which the port driver file of first type is recorded, as well as copying the port driver file of first type to a location designated by the location designation information stored in the setup information file, and a connection step for connecting the printer to the computer after processing pertaining to the printer driver installation step and processing pertaining to the copy step have been completed.
According to the setup method, installation of the driver of first type is completed without displaying a dialogue box or the like for specifying a retrieval location. Accordingly, so long as the setup method is used, a printer can be actually set up without occurrence of misoperation.